


Romance is the Biggest Scam

by teababy



Category: ATEEZ (Band), K-pop, NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Multi, One-Sided Attraction, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:28:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21766087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teababy/pseuds/teababy
Summary: She believed romance to be a social construct and he was hopelessly in love.Coming from a home of broken love, she has accepted to never love another and let herself get hurt. He has had his eye on her for a while and wants to move in closer, to show her not all love is a scam.
Relationships: Na Jaemin/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	1. Prologue

Prologue

She opened her eyes and all she saw was amber. She quickly shut them and felt a slight burn and a hot tear roll down her cheek. She didn’t remember leaving her blinds open the night before, but she didn’t remember a lot from the night before. The party at her friend’s house wasn’t exactly anything special, but whatever was in her drink was. She somehow didn’t have a raging hangover, but she still felt a little dizzy. She was warm and very well-rested. Stretching out as far as her muscles would let her, she let out a satisfied sigh.

She could hear her roommate making a smoothie in the kitchen, which was probably what woke her up, and made her way to the bathroom to take a shower and clean off whatever makeup was still crusted onto her face after crashing. After the satisfying steaming shower, she laid back down for a while, just relaxing, staring at the ceiling.

She tried to recollect moments from her escapade just hours before. She remembered the strong cinnamon flavors that hit her tongue, seconds after stepping into the basement of the old, tattered house. She and the girl she came with drank fast, wanting to lose any shame they may have had before stepping in the doors. Finals were coming up at their university and what better time to let loose and have a blast, for possibly the last time that semester?

She remembered being on the dance floor, which was really sticky from spilled drinks. She remembered her best friend, the host, gleefully shuffling toward her through the crowd of sweaty young adult bodies and putting his arm tight around her, cheering at the fact that they had made it. He was soon lost in the crowd once again, though, looking for a young belle to make a move on.

That’s when things get hazy. Most of her memories were just of going crazy with her friends who were there, but she got flashes of puppy looking eyes and a grey flannel. She sort of saw a bracelet with a metal compass on it. And maybe, just maybe, she thought she felt the impression of a pair of lips on hers. Flipping through memories like a picture book, she tried so hard to find that so familiar stance and the bushy brown hair that fell around six inches above her. She could almost see him. She could almost hear his laugh, which she could have sworn she had heard before.

She tried not to get worked up over it, but the fear of not knowing took over her. Nonetheless, she refused to let it steal her attention any longer. It was better not knowing. She didn’t want to get tied up in a mess like that. It wouldn’t even be worth it.

•

After mulling over her thoughts and deciding to give up, she decided to get ready for class. Luckily, she only had a class at 2:00 in the afternoon, so she still had room to take her time. After all, it was only 10:32 in the morning. After blow drying her hair (only to not like how it settled and put it in a high ponytail) and putting on some light makeup, she made some lunch while letting Joji play in the back for an hour or so. After putting on some sweatpants and an old high school T-shirt, she then left for her campus.

To say she was dreading her statistics class was a gross understatement and she was probably the least excited to see her professor’s overly cheerful face and hear her rant about z-scores for over an hour. And she always took up the entire class time.

She got to the lecture hall as many other students were pouring in and sat down in her seat between her two friends, Song Mingi (who threw the party the night before) and Lee Minho (who was not at the party because he was sick). The three chatted for the time they had before class about the party and about random nothingness. The rows around them were filling up quickly. The seat directly in front of them belonged to a mutual friend of theirs, Na Jaemin. A couple minutes before the lecture started, he sauntered in, taking in the students around him before getting to his seat and neatly getting out his laptop and water bottle. He turned for a second and politely greeted the three friends behind him. Y/N smiled back and looked a little too long into his puppy looking eyes, feeling a shock, but for a reason she did not know.


	2. Chapter 2

Two days after that week’s party, it was finally Saturday. This meant Y/N had plenty of time to be lazy, avoid her homework, and, in the evening, work her part-time job at the desk at her university’s library. So, there she sat. Her laptop was right in front of her, but she just stared blankly at the empty Word document in front of her. Well, not entirely empty. The title of her essay “Love is a Social Construct Pushed on Us to Make Us Think There is Good in the World” stared glaringly at her, begging her to just write one sentence. The assignment, given to her by her cognitive psychology professor, wasn’t a difficult one. The problem was, Y/N had too much to say.

Romance isn’t even real. Romantic love is silly and is what film makers and holiday merchandisers use to push their agendas and to make money. True love doesn’t last. Nothing good can stay forever. And what someone thinks is true love? Well, they’re wrong.

Just you wait. She would think. It all comes crashing down eventually. Being the youngest child of divorced parents, having divorced grandparents, and even a divorced older brother, Y/N had lost hope long ago. Why bother? Why bother if it wouldn’t last? That’s precisely why she never gave guys or girls a second glance if they showed interest. She rejected the, mind you, few romantic inquiries she had gotten, and couldn’t help but roll her eyes when those close to her thought they had finally found “the one.” So, it was difficult to write this essay. She had too many thoughts to process.

Just as she finally gathered her thoughts enough to possibly begin writing that painful first sentence, her train of thought was totally wrecked. Na Jaemin, the boy from her statistics class, was at the desk. She politely smiled and asked, “Jaemin, what can I do for you? Need help?”

To which he lit up immediately and gave a slight nod, asking, “Yes! Actually, can you direct me to the world history section? Like, on Russia, specifically.” The way he spoke was almost cartoonish. He was very animated. Y/N nodded and let him know that it was on the third floor and that the section over Russia, which was strangely large, was toward the back. He thanked her and went on his way. She smiled fondly at his figure. He was always so kind and friendly. She would love to be friends with him. She sometimes got tired of the dramatics of something of her friends and the chaos of hanging out with all of them at once. Jaemin, however, seemed very calm.

Y/N went back to her paper, but she was no longer in a brooding state of mind, ready to tear down the concept of romance from the inside out. She was in a much better mood, like flowers had sprouted around her.

“There goes all my motivation again…” she mumbled and continued to stare at her mostly blank screen.

After she got off work at the late hour of 11:30 p.m., Y/N was so ready to be in her warm bed with some YouTube, the only date she would have that night would be with a bag of popcorn and a two-liter of Sprite. This would be short-lived, however, because soon after she got in just the right position in her bed, she was out like a light.

•

The next couple of weeks went by like clockwork. Everything was so very routine. Finals week was quickly approaching (just over one more week) and the anxiety of every college student was bubbling. It seemed like all Y/N had time for was slaving over her essay and completing small assignments by the seat of her pants every night. She hadn’t even as much as seen her friends outside of class for the past week.

By the time Friday came around, the whole gang was ready for a well-deserved break. The exhaustion of the struggles may as well have swept them away. None of them had the energy for a party, but they had all been crammed up in their rooms and the library for too long, so they needed to get out. Eventually, they all agreed to hit up a local sports bar, have a couple of drinks, and eat their hearts out.

All five university students, Y/N, Mingi, Minho, along with their friends Jeon Jungkook and Lee Jeno, made the short drive over to the restaurant and sat at a booth, with Jeno pulling up a chair for the end. Y/N, for one, was pretty starving and immediately knew that she wanted the Parmesan boneless wings and a lemonade. Once they all ordered their food, they spoke amongst themselves, grieving the sleep they had lost in the past week and all the headaches they had suffered. Minho complained about his biology professor assigning a final essay on top of the final exam while Jeno and Y/N bantered over how difficult or easy the practice exam was for their German class.

As their food was served, Jeno’s attention was caught by someone entering the sports bar and he grinned and waved them over.

“Jaemin! My buddy, my pal, what’s up?” He said, very gung-ho. Jaemin walked over to the table and gave a hi-five to his best friend. He greeted the others and started to make small talk with them, asking them how their weeks had gone, laughing when they all let out a collective groan. Y/N grinned at him when he mentioned how his week was pretty stressful, but he was definitely hanging in there. “The home stretch! Right guys?”

Something about him lifted the worries they all had off their shoulders for even just a moment. Y/N very fondly smiled up at him. He glanced down at her and said, “Oh hey, what about that stats exam? You ready?” She could have sworn it felt like he sent a shock through her heart, the way all his attention seemed on her at that moment.

“Oh, well… I’m just going to hope for the best.” She laughed halfheartedly and glanced to Mingi and Minho, who she knew felt the same way. He chuckled just a little and pat her on the shoulder quickly.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll ace it. Hey, if you want, we could form a study group with some others from class sometime. I know the exam is three days away, but any little bit could help.” He looked at the three of them for confirmation and they all agreed, thankful they could maybe have some time to buckle down. They knew it was better to have others accountable for you when studying, especially since the three of them could never possibly get work done around each other.

After some small talk with Jungkook about their film class, he told them goodbye and rejoined the group he was with. As soon as he left, Y/N felt something strange. It was almost like disappointment. As if she had hoped he would have wanted to sit with them, drink with them, just hang out. She longed to talk to him more, really get to know him. She would have to catch him another time.

She didn’t know why she wanted his friendship so bad. There was something so genuine in his nature. She could tell he wasn’t just being polite because he didn’t know her very well. It seemed like he was honestly curious to hear what others had to say. She had to admit, she really respected and admired that. Maybe one day she could call him a close friend.

•

After a night of boozin’ and laughing, the group each made their ways home. Y/N felt refreshed, like she could start new for the week. All she needed was a small break. After all, Hell week was quickly approaching. And she would be lying if she said she wasn’t excited for the statistics study group.


	3. Chapter 3

Sunday came and, while there was only one more day until the stats exam, Mingi, Minho, Y/N, Jaemin, along with three other classmates, whom they did not know well, set up camp at the library around noon and hit the books. Things started relatively smoothly. The group decided to just go through the chapters, work on practice problems, and go around the table, taking turns explaining concepts to each other, just to be sure they had everything down as close to perfect as possible.

Y/N felt pretty alright about the exam. She was 100% confident she would not fail, but what more could she ask for? Around 3:00, they decided to take a thirty minute break. The others decided to go off and get some coffee, walk after sitting for so long, or go to the bathroom. Y/N and Jaemin sat at the table, still, just sitting on their phones.

“Hey, uhhh, Jaemin?” Y/N asked, finally looking over a couple of notes. He glanced at her to see what she needed. “Can you help me with finding confidence intervals? I get the concept, I just… don’t know where to look for them on the chart.” Jaemin sat down his phone and leaned, quickly, she could admit, forward to look at what she had written so far. Something struck Y/N. Something familiar about the way his body approached hers. Even sitting, he somewhat loomed over her. Or maybe she was just slouching. She took a quick glance and scooted over just a tad, seemingly to let him take a closer look at her notes.

Still a little confused as to what exactly she was feeling, she kept taking small glances to look at him. She noticed how long his eyelashes were. She noticed how perfectly flushed his cheeks were, almost as if he were wearing a light blush. He was biting his lip in almost a nervous way. He gave her a quick glance and grinned and said, “Here, I think you’re making it more difficult on yourself than it needs to be.”

Y/N listened intently and soaked in every word he said. After all, she couldn’t afford to not soak up every bit of knowledge before this exam. She certainly did not like the bounce in his voice and the way he lightly patted her arm when she finally got the concept. And it most definitely did not make her heart skip a beat when he gave a bright smile when she totally got the concept finally. She didn’t really mind that they used up their break to do more work. She was learning Jaemin’s mannerisms more and more and felt just so comfortable around him.

The group studied for about an hour more before collectively deciding they were burned out for the day. Feeling much more confident and prepared for the exam the next day, they all wished each other good luck and promised to see each other the next morning, when the exam would take place. Y/N hugged Mingi and Minho goodbye before saying that she was going to work on her final essay for a while before heading downstairs to work her very last shift of the year.

She had made considerable progress on the essay. She felt very proud of what had been done and at this point, she mostly just had to cite her sources and make some final grammar edits. She opened the document, but was surprised to see that Jaemin had never left her side. She glanced at him and asked him if he had anywhere to be or if he needed anything. She almost bit her tongue after, feeling it was rude. She didn’t want to make him think he wasn’t welcome.

He just gave her a shrug and said that he had nothing better to do. “I’ll just chill here with you. Keep you company if you need it.”

“Oh. Well I really appreciate it! I really shouldn’t be too long.” She promised. She worked silently, but felt his eyes in her direction. She looked over at him, giving a small smile.

“So ‘love is a social construct…’” He read from her paper. He seemed to be reading through the whole work as she did and started asking her questions about it. “So what happened? Have you been in love before?”

Y/N let out a laugh and shook her head. “No, Na Jaemin, I’ve never been in love. I’m not putting myself through that bullshit.” She said, before marking another comma she had forgotten. He remained quiet for a moment.

“So like, have you ever had a boyfriend? Do you have one now? I mean, you don’t even have a crush on someone?” He asked hesitantly. She gave a look as if she was thinking hard about the question before once again shaking her head.

“I’ve had crushes before, definitely. But no, I’ve never had more than a couple crappy dates. I’ve never seen love work out, so I’m not going to waste my time.” Y/N looked at Jaemin to see him with his brows furrowed slightly. He didn’t say anything after that, but he still occasionally would glance at her screen and read through bits and pieces of whatever “social construct” this girl thought had been made of romance.

After a while he couldn’t hold his tongue anymore. “You know, true love is definitely real. Tons of people have felt it, so how can it not be?” He was definitely looking to challenge what she had written. Even he himself had been in love before. He might have even been in love at that moment. He saw romance everywhere. He saw it in the goodnight kiss his parents shared. He saw it in his best friend’s four year long relationship. He saw it in the old couple who lived across from him when he was small. The undying loyalty and the excitement to share unique life experiences with a lifetime partner. He desired that more than anything.

All she did was take in a deep breath and fully turn to face him. “Just because you feel something doesn’t make it real. Feelings only go so far. What happened to trust? To honesty? To just showing people you appreciate them? I haven’t felt it. I’d like to keep it that way.” She could admit, she came on a little strong with that one. She just had very passionate feelings about the situation. Then she felt bad.

“Hey, dude, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to come off that harsh with that. I’m not trying to tell you you’re wrong to love. I just don’t have time for that. And I don’t think I’ll miss out if I don’t fall in love.” She gave a small smile and a pat on the back. He didn’t retaliate, but he was left to wonder if romance could be so miserable? Sure, every once in a while, you get your heart broken, but the good times typically outweighed the bad, right?

For the next hour or so, they sat in silence, him just on his phone, her making the finishing touches to her essay. Finally, she let out a soft “Hooray” and closed her laptop. After all the slaving over the paper, she finally got to turn it in.

“Well, thanks for sitting here with me,” She said sort of awkwardly. Why had he decided to stay, anyway? “I have to go to work now, um, downstairs, but I hope you have a great night.”

He nodded and smiled saying, “Yeah, thanks for letting me read your paper a little! Interesting stuff.” This was said with possibly a little bitterness, but Y/N looked past it. “I hope work goes well! I’ll see you!”

With that, Y/N left for the desk and Jaemin went back to his apartment.

•

Back at his humble abode, Jaemin sat on the couch with a bag of chips with Jeno, who was his roommate. The slightly younger guy looked at his best friend and tossed a peanut at him.

“So what has you in such intense thought?” He inquired. Jaemin’s brows were furrowed and he had a little bit of a pout, his brown hair a little damp from a shower. He just shrugged, looking back at him and saying that there wasn’t much. He was just stressed about finals. Jeno, who had known Jaemin for some years at that point, was quick to call him out on his lie.

“I know you better than that, what’s up? Is it really your exams? Or is it Y/N?” He pried a little. Jaemin shot his head up and shook it a little too violently.

“No, it’s just finals. Why would it be about Y/N? We’re not close.” He promised, not keeping eye contact with his friend. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to admit he hadn’t had a little bit of a crush on Y/N for some time now, it was just that he really didn’t know her well. Their little debate today had given him less hope that she would ever want to be with him, anyway. If he were to be totally honest, though, he would mention that he was a little heartbroken. He wanted to get to know her. He wanted to win her over, but she seemed like an egg that wouldn’t crack. And she didn’t want to be cracked.

“What? So you don’t know her well enough after sucking face with her at that party?” Jeno teased, knowing that the other was sensitive about the topic. Jaemin jolted, like he had been electrocuted.

“Hey, hey, hey now! You know that was an accident! I just drank too much…” He said, raising his voice a little and getting visibly flushed. Jeno laughed and continued to poke fun at him. It really was a mistake. Jaemin didn’t mean to even be at that party. He was supposed to just be a designated driver, but after a while, someone offered to take over for him. So he didn’t argue and decided to have some fun for himself. 

He quickly had found Y/N and her friends dancing together, obviously not very sober. As Eric Prydz’s “Call On Me” blasted through the speakers, he could see her grinning and jumping up and down. He hadn’t seen her that free before, totally lost in the music and the atmosphere. He decided to have a couple of drinks, too, and make his way to the other side of the room where he saw a couple friends. After downing about three beers and a cup of some sort of orange concoction, he had most definitely fallen into a drunken stupor.

He had to find his way to the bathroom and maybe a place to sit for a moment. He felt his way down the hall and stood in line, waiting behind gaggles of college girls with their friends, all impatiently waiting for a chance to go in. Once he was finished with his “business” he made his way to the much less crowded living room to hopefully find a place to relax for just a few minutes. When he got in the room he could still feel the bass of the song playing downstairs and he could hear cheers of the rowdy college kids playing beer pong in the kitchen.

He saw Y/N with that friend of hers, Song Mingi, and some girl he had his arm around. They were on the couch cutting up and laughing, drinking that orange drink he had earlier. He made his way over to them and when they spotted him, Y/N waved gleefully and excitedly patted the spot next to her, inviting him to sit. For a while he just listened to them talk, putting in his two cents occasionally. After what felt like a few seconds, but probably ended up being a few minutes, Mingi and the girl he was with went back downstairs to finish out their night on the dance floor.

Y/N leaned back into the couch, resting her head on the wall and turned to look at him. She asked, “Hey, when did you get here? I haven’t seen you yet. You should have danced with me!” Her words were a little flirtatious and he smiled at her with the warmest look.

“Nah, I was having my own fun, too. It’s ok.” He said, with a slight slur. He noticed how she kept touching his arm when she would laugh and occasionally would bump her head on his shoulder. Even drunk, he was a blushing mess. So he started playing along. At one point, Y/N giggled so much she slightly slid over and was leaning on him just a little. He took the opportunity to put his arm around her and laugh with her. It was almost like he could feel his crush on her growing every minute. He would be in trouble with his sober self later.

“Hey, you know, Mingi and that girl…” she giggled. “They’re gonna do it.” She looked at him for a reaction and kept laughing a little.

“What was that?” He asked. She had been so quiet. She suddenly leaned in super close.

She whispered in his ear, “Mingi, that girl. They’re gonna fuck.” He hadn’t ever really heard her talk like that before and the mix of that, the alcohol rushing through their systems, and the fact that he could feel her breath on his ear sent chills through him.

He wasn’t really sure what to say, so settled for an awkward, “O-Oh, is that right?” To which she nodded. Her demeanor quickly changed, though, to one more stern.

“Don’t get the wrong idea, though,” she sort of snapped. “I don’t want to do that. I promise.” He smiled fondly at her and nodded, telling her he didn’t blame her. She kept looking at him, with her head on his shoulder. He gazed down, with innocent, puppy like eyes, and gave a small smile again.

Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the atmosphere, maybe it was just her, but their faces were suddenly too close to be platonic and Y/N found herself nudging her chin forward ever so slightly. He took this cue and very lightly placed his mouth on hers. Thank goodness he wasn’t sober. He would have gone into cardiac arrest if he was. He had to admit, most of the details of the kiss were gone from his mind, but every time he thought of it, it sent his heart into another fit.

He didn’t think she remembered. He actually doubted it. It had been weeks and she never acted strange around him or even mentioned anything happening at the party. And he tried to act the same. He wouldn’t know how to handle himself if she knew that they made out on a couch for half an hour. It was his little secret for now.


	4. Chapter 4

Finals week was rough. No one could deny that. Y/N’s week went something like this: Monday morning, bright and early, she got to the location of her statistics exam room and just barely made it out on time. She spent so much time on so many problems and was seriously debating whether or not she actually knew what she was doing. Then on Wednesday, she had a final presentation over the paper she wrote for her cognitive psychology class. Later on that day, she also had her German final. Then, on Thursday, she had her final, final exam in her developmental psychology class, which honestly went swimmingly. She was really prepared for that one.

To say she was exhausted was an understatement. But she felt so much relief. She had finally finished her sophomore year of college. It was finally over. Now all she had to focus on was working at her summer job at the local day camp for elementary kids and make enough money to keep up with her rent and maybe take a spontaneous trip with her friends for her birthday, which was at the end of July. This one would be the big two-one. Finally, she would be able to legally drink. Not that she planned to go crazy, but she didn’t like sneaking around, not knowing if she would get caught.

She didn’t have big plans exactly, but she wouldn’t mind a weekend trip with a few friends to the beach to just relax and end their summer with a bang. She was ready for this break more than anyone. The semester had been the most difficult one for her so far. She took 16.00 credit hours, which isn’t a crazy amount, but the classes she had chosen were very challenging.

After the exam, she went home and took the longest nap. After cuddling up in her bed for a couple hours after that, she got a notification request from her Instagram. She opened it and saw the username @nanananajaemin appear on the list. Y/N grinned and clicked on it, seeing his message.

@nanananajaemin: Hey! I just wanted to check in. How were finals? You said your last one was today, I remember.

‘Wow, he’s so thoughtful. I wouldn’t have remembered that about someone.’ she thought. She quickly replied to him.

@Y/N_darling: Hey! Wow that’s so nice of you. I think they went fine. I hope yours did, too! (:

@nanananajaemin: i’m sure you totally rocked them. Mine were alright, i just had so many.

@Y/N_darling: boooooo well at least they’re over now. We can finally breathe! Lol

@nanananajaemin: so i actually messaged you to ask you something real quick

@nanananajaemin: is that cool?

@Y/N_darling: oh yeah, shoot!

For some reason, her heart stuttered for a moment. She could feel anxiousness pool up in her, for some reason. That question would make anyone nervous, though, she supposed. She saw that he had been typing for a while and that didn’t help.

On the other end, Jaemin was going to have a heart attack. Jeno was beside him, coaching him on.

“Dude, I can’t just like, ask her to hang out, though. We aren’t close like that. Damn, should I just make something up? I’ll ask her about the stats exam, that’s it.” He said in a slight panic. He had been typing and then erasing things for the longest time.

Jeno shook his arm a little and said, “Bro, it isn’t that big of a deal. Asking her to hang out doesn’t have to be flirting. Just ask her if she wants to get a smoothie or something to celebrate the end of finals week, I don’t know.” His friend was really going through it. Poor guy was shaking in his boots. Jeno was so glad he was past that point and was already with the person he wanted to be with for at least a long time. The nerves were too much.

Jaemin nodded for what seemed like forever before seeming to decide the perfect thing to send.

@nanananajaemin: so it’s like the end of finals and all. And summer break is about to start, so we should def celebrate. Wanna go get like coffee or a smoothie or something to say “peace out” to the semester?

Oh jeez, why did he say that? “Peace out?” What was he, a hippie? He just wanted to sound cool, not like he was in his fifties. He all but threw his phone across the room. She was never going to say yes to hanging out to that. He finally got the notification for a message back from her.

@Y/N_darling: yeah, sounds like fun! Want me to bring Mingi and Minho, too? The last hoorah from the stats crew?

Well there was his chance. Y/N just had to suggest bringing others, didn’t she? It’s not like he could tell her no. What would he even say, “Actually, Y/N, I just wanted to hang out as just the two of us?” No, that’s too far. Feeling dejected and pushed down a level, he replied to her.

@nanananajaemin: well yeah, of course! I wouldn’t want it any other way :P

When Y/N saw this, she felt just a little disappointed. Not that she didn’t want her two best friends there, but she really wanted to learn more about Jaemin. She wanted deep conversations, little teasing comments, a friendly goodbye hug. It would be awkward otherwise, right? She just wanted to be one of his good friends.

•  
The next day, at around 4:00 in the afternoon, Y/N and Mingi carpooled over to a coffee shop they hadn’t been to before (the smoothie idea was thrown out the window when Minho mentioned he wouldn’t be able to get a warm croissant at a smoothie place). They jammed to some favorites, but Mingi turned the volume down during one of Y/N’s favorites, to which she scowled and looked at him.

“Hey, so I have a little bit of a weird question,” He mentioned. She looked at him, waiting for him to finish. “Don’t get mad at me for asking, but do you have a thing with Jaemin?” Y/N gave him a weird look and shook her head.

“Of course not, why would I? I don’t know him that well. And besides, even if I did, I wouldn’t do anything about it.” She looked back at the road and saw they were approaching the coffee shop, about to turn in.

Mingi hummed and teased, “Well I think you’re lying. You obviously enjoy his company. And he invited you to this, so he obviously thinks the two of you are at least a little close.” It was something she hadn’t thought of before, but she still had her doubts. She scolded him a little more before they got out of the car and headed inside. Jaemin had already claimed a table near the door and waved at them as they came in. He had a mug in front of him, already filled with a cappuccino. Y/N went to the table and sat her bag down before going up to the counter and ordering an iced americano. Mingi ordered behind her and got some sort of honey flavored coffee. At the table, Y/N sat next to Mingi and left the seat next to Jaemin open for when Minho got there, which should have been any moment from then. Always fashionably late.

Once he did get there, conversation picked up fast and the four young adults had a lot of pleasant conversation. Mingi brought up his parents and how they were planning on going on a cruise that summer and probably were going to bring him and his siblings along. This turned into a conversation of the group’s favorite family vacations when they were younger. Mingi talked about going to Disneyland Paris when he was in middle school with his family, Jaemin spoke about visiting his grandparents in the countryside when he was small, and Minho mentioned all the beach trips he had taken with his parents, siblings, pets, and aunts and uncles through his life.

Y/N sort of just listened intently as the three boys traded stories. She didn’t really have many happy family memories like they did. The ones she did have were so small and she couldn’t remember much about them. Jaemin noticed the fake smile she was wearing and, thinking she was feeling left out, asked, “What about you,Y/N? What’s the best vacation you and your family has gone on?”

Immediately it was as if the tension rose. Mingi and Minho knew about her home life and were always hesitant to talk about her family with her, so as to hopefully not make her upset. She gave a bit of a fake laugh and gave a sad smile.

“The best vacation I had… let’s see.” She sat in thought for a couple moments before speaking again. “I guess… I had a pretty alright vacation to the beach when I was in middle school. The woman my dad was dating insisted on bringing us all along for the week. The weather was really nice. It was fun to play with my brother in the water. I don’t know… That was sort of a hard time. When my mom found out all Hell broke loose, though. I guess she didn’t know.”

Jaemin was visibly confused. He really wasn’t picking up on much. “But like why was your mom upset? If they weren’t together anymore?” He took a short look at Minho and noticed his resistance to look him in the eye. Y/N shook her head and sighed.

“No, Jaemin, they were still married. We were whisked away by my dad and his new gal. It was just him being bitter and wanting revenge on my mom cheating on him for years. It wasn’t that big of a deal, it was just so dramatic…” She trailed off. She felt all three pairs of eyes on her. She bit her lip, trying to figure out how to make this less awkward. She let out a hearty laugh. “Anyway, that’s why I don’t believe in true love. It all goes to shit no matter how you look at it.”

Her attempt to break the tension didn’t exactly work, but it seemed like the others got the memo and decided to somehow bend the conversation to start talking about school.

“Umm speaking of fathers, my dad works in a biology lab downtown. I guess you could say he was my inspiration for choosing my major. Just gotta make him proud and make some money doing it.” Minho said, desperately trying to change the subject. It worked, thank goodness, and they started talking about why they chose their majors. Y/N paid super close attention to Jaemin when he mentioned wanting to become a university history professor.

“No, no, seriously! I always looked up to those who could keep the attention of a couple hundred college students all at once. Or at least make them want to pretend they were listening. I know, I know- stop laughing, Mingi- it’s dorky for that to be my dream, but I really want to teach and support others. I’ll be the coolest professor ever, just watch.” He professed passionately. Y/n giggled at the way his eyes lit up and when he lightly hit Minho on the arm when he called him “wannabe professor hardass.”

Overall, it was a good time. They all felt so relaxed, something they hadn’t felt much in the past months. Good conversation, good friends, and a lot of laughs. Y/N felt like she knew so much about Jaemin at this point. She felt a connection that might have been there and really thought she saw eye-to-eye with him on a lot of things. Before long, Mingi got a text from another friend and shyly turned to the group, letting them know he had to go pick up a few friends and drive them to a bar and watch after them. They all understood and bid him farewell. He quickly apologized to Y/N, asking if she was alright with catching a ride with either of the others. She pleasantly agreed and told him to have a safe night.

•

Another forty-five minutes passed and it was close to the time the cafe was closing. As they put their cups up and grabbed their belongings, Minho nudged Y/N and asked, “Hey, would you be cool with Jaemin driving you home? I didn’t exactly drive myself, my roommate drove me.”Y/N thought for a second. Did she really want to have to ask Jaemin to give her a ride home? This was two friends now who had backed out on driving her. She slowly nodded and shrugged.

“Yeah, I guess I’m cool with that.” She turned to ask Jaemin and he happily said she could and they all made their way out the door. She tightly hugged Minho goodbye and got into Jaemin’s little red car. The drive home was pretty quiet, save for the light music that played through the speakers and Y/N’s sort of confusing directions to her apartment. Once they pulled in, they stopped long enough for her to jump out with her stuff and say goodbye and thank him for the ride.

“Hey, actually. Y/N,” he stopped her. She looked at him, questioningly, waiting for him to speak again. “We should hang out more. I like being around you. So like this summer?” She nodded and smiled, saying they should definitely make plans. She then closed the door and made her way upstairs, in a very good mood.


	5. Chapter 5

And so summer started. After a couple of weeks not really doing much, Y/N’s summer job officially started. The local community center held a day camp every summer for kids aged 5-13. It was often the highlight of her year. This was now the fourth summer in a row that she had worked there and the program just kept getting better. More kids were attending each year, which meant more staff was brought on, and the activities got even more fun. This year was the first year Y/N got to be a team leader and she was ecstatic, to say the least.

This meant she, along with a partner, would spend all day with the same kids every day for the week they attended and got to participate in all the activities with them. If they were going swimming, she would swim with them. If they were making origami butterflies, so was she. If they were eating their sack lunches, so was she. On the day before the official first day, all the employees and volunteers for the summer gathered to go over protocol, play some ice breakers, and get to know who they would be working with.  
They finally got their team leader partners and Y/N was surprised to see that she didn’t recognize the name of her partner. Some guy named Christopher Bang? She hadn’t heard of him. When he came to greet her, she immediately noticed that he was a very attractive guy. He looked very welcoming and she could tell that he was ready to have a great time with these kids. And damn, that accent. It was almost like she was being lured in, really absorbing all his words. The two hit it off pretty well. Soon, they were pretty comfortable and were really excited to be working together.

The next morning came quick. Y/N woke up bright and early, bubbling with excitement. The Sun had hardly started to come up, dyeing the sky a deep lavender. She tiptoed around the apartment so as to not wake up her roommates and grabbed a couple of granola bars and her water bottle to start her day. She decided it would be a beautiful day to ride her bike to work, so that’s just what she did. As the Sun started shining more, it became warmer and by the time she got to the community center, it was getting pretty hot. Once she got there, there were about thirty minutes before the campers arrived. She and Chris spoke for a few minutes about the day and dividing responsibilities and the director gave them all a last minute pep talk, hyping them up for the week to come.

As the campers started to get registered and and join their troops of the week, the excitement and positive energy was building. There were probably around two hundred campers that week and Y/N was more than ready to take on the task. She and Chris were assigned to be the team leaders for the 11-13 year olds. Middle school was an age Y/N hadn’t worked much with before, but she was always up for a challenge. As more kids were swept into their section, the two of them interacted animatedly with them, trying to be welcoming and like the “cool” leaders. The two of them grinned at each other as one boy got really excited when he saw Chris’ Spider-Man T-shirt and went on and on about how he was his favorite superhero.

Chris Bang actually had quite a way with kids. He was so tolerant and wouldn’t back down from a kid trying their best to impress him or get to know him. As she watched him hi-five the Spider-Man lover, she took in his whole appearance. The dimples that she could just swim in, the kind, smiling eyes, the confident stance. He was quite attractive in every way, she had to admit. When he caught her staring, she ALMOST let herself get caught blushing. She played it off as just paying attention to what the kid was saying and laughed along with them.

The day went by really smoothly and Y/N’s heart swelled with pride, seeing the campers obviously having a good time. They had made popsicle stick houses, played Red Rover (many times), sang some good old camp songs, ate some snacks, and currently, were getting ready for a swim in the pool. After going over some safety precautions and having some quick swimming tests just to be sure all of their group could swim well enough, they were turned loose and enjoyed the fun time on the hot summer day. Y/N, dressed in a one piece with a t-shirt over it (per protocol of the camp), was happy to wade in the shallow end, being sure to keep an eye on all of the kids playing in the water. Out of all the campers, there were about forty-five or so in the water; all the middle schoolers, at that.

After some free time, all the campers and team leaders who were in the pool gathered the play some pool games. The first was the classic Marco Polo. After a huge round of rock-paper-scissors to decide who would first be "it", the game was on. With so many people, the first couple of rounds went by quick before some students backed out to watch and have fun in their own way, as spectators. Soon into the game, a small girl with freckles scattered in her cheeks was it, and she was so close to tagging others so many times, but just barely missed them. Y/N saw Chris grinning and stayed in place just long enough for the girl to paddle her way to where he was and finally tag him.

Y/N could have sighed at how precious the scene was. Chris hollered in fake disappointment, but the smile never left his face. The girl giggled, proud that she finally got someone. Once Chris closed his eyes and everyone scattered, he was on a mission. Y/N wondered if he was a swimmer because he was moving fast. Most of the campers barely got away from him by the skin of their teeth. She jumped back a few times, shouting, “Polo!” and paddling quickly away when he got super close. Like a kid again, she was giddy in anticipation and kept finding herself grinning and trying not to giggle. She found herself soon on the frontline in front of many of her campers as they all tried to use her as a human shield against the opponent.

She splashed around a little bit, trying to get away just as he got close, but the others laughed quietly behind her, nudging her forward so she would be caught. As she looked back and panickedly tried to escape, she could have sworn she saw Chris’ eyes open just a tad and he lunged at her, wrapper an arm around her neck, ultimately deeming her as “it.” He let out a loud laugh and exclaimed, “Well, now it’s your turn, partner!” And gave a friendly wink. As someone who was somewhat of a sore loser, Y/N wanted to retaliate and call him out on cheating, but she was a little flustered at the close contact that he remained.

The game continued and after about an hour and a half at the pool, the day was coming to an end. As everyone changed into their dry clothes and wrang their bathing suits and towels out, Y/N couldn’t help but be in such a good mood. The summer was starting out to be a good one and she had high hopes for all the fun and surprises to come that year.

•

All the campers got sent home at 4:00 and the staff and volunteers met in the gymnasium for a very short debriefing and to prepare for the next day.

“Wow! Great job, everyone! This has been a great kickoff to the summer. I’m sure we all agree that this cousins have gone better,” The director beamed as she handed out the itinerary for the next day. “Before we get started, does anyone have any concerns, comments, praises? Of course if it’s something personal or a problem with a camper, please pull me aside after the meeting privately so we can discuss it.”

Almost as soon as she finished, Chris’ hand shot up. Y/N looked next to her, waiting to hear what he had to say.

“Can I just mention that my partner, Y/N, absolutely ruled today and has such a great way with the campers. They all really appreciate her a lot. This day would have been difficult for me on my own.” He praised. Y/N felt the blood shoot up to her already sunburnt face. She eat awkwardly for a moment and then let out a laugh and thanked him. I mean, what was she supposed to say to that?

The director smiled and said, “Oh yes, Y/N is no newbie at this. There’s a reason we’ve kept her for so long. Thanks for your input, Chris,” She winked and gave the both of them a thumbs up. “It’s teamwork like this that makes this place run so smoothly! With that, thank you everyone for being so patient today and for making it a really special start to the summer.” She then went in to talk about the following day, places where they could improve, and other comments. She released them around 4:30 and sent them on their ways with instructions to rest up so as to be right and ready the next morning.

Y/N, as exhausted as she was, jogged out to get her bike and started to make the trek home. She grinned as the wind blew through her hair and soaked in the last moments of being outside for the day. She was about halfway home when she thought she heard a voice calling her name. She turned and looked around her, trying to find the source. At the corner of the road she had passed moments ago, she saw a cheerful and very sweaty Jaemin. She gave a bright smile and waved her arms around like crazy. She watched as he crossed the road, being very cautious of oncoming traffic, and finally made it by her side.

He gave her a bit of a side hug and then asked her what she was up to. The two talked for a while about theirs days and laughed about how sweaty Jaemin had gotten after only being on his run for fifteen minutes. Very tired and in need of a cold glass of water, Y/N sadly told him she needed to keep on walking home, but he hit her with a really excited offer to walk her the rest of her way home.

“Oh, you really don’t have to do that.” she pleaded, not wanting him to have to go out of his way. He shook his head and insisted that he was glad to get out and all anywhere when it was that beautiful outside. Y/N happily agreed and they continued their walk toward her place.

They got to a small hill and as they started to walk up it, Jaemin offered, “Here, let me push your bike up. This hill is brutal.” Without letting her refuse, he grabbed the handles and started quickly jogging his way up the hill. She laughed and shook her head, speeding up to catch up with him.

“Jaemin, no, I can do it.” She said with a small giggle. She grabbed the handles back and tugged it her way, but he was a considerable amount stronger than she was and he pulled it right back. This turned into a vigorous, but light-hearted tug of war. Once they got to the top of the hill, he paused.

He put his pink on hers on the middle of the handle and said, “Fine, we’ll both push it.” He had a cheesy grin on his face and Y/N felt herself start to get butterflies. He was just so charming. She backed away for a moment, though, starting to feel her interior wall crumble. She slightly shook her head, refusing to let herself fall for a move as small as that. Even when she scooted her hand a little closer to herself, she noticed his demeanor never changed. After a few more minutes of walking and small talk, they finally got to her apartment.

She smiled brightly, saying, “Thanks so much for walking with me, buddy! I appreciate it. I love talking with you.” He nodded happily and mentioned that he would walk and talk with her anytime. After a few more pleasantries, he began his jog again and Y/N chained up her bike and made her way upstairs. Once she was inside, she found it easy on herself to be very speedy with cleaning herself up and getting prepared for the next day. After washing her face and applying aloe vera to it, she climbed in bed, which awaited her with hours of Netflix before she fell into dreamland.


	6. Chapter 6

The week continued and Y/N and her campers really had bonded. With a lot of team-building and interactive activities, it was easy to form connections with them. She, Chris, and all their kiddos were very sad when the week was coming to a close. On the last day, the whole afternoon was dedicated to a pool day/cookout and all the family members were invited. It was an afternoon totally filled with lots of laughter, the smell of burgers on a grill, and upbeat music. Y/N spent a lot of the time with Chris taking pictures of the campers and their families for a scrapbook being released at the end of the summer. Sometimes the campers that were in their own little troop would ask for pictures with the two of them, to which they happily obliged.

By around 2:00, Y/N’s face hurt from smiling so much and her social battery was about to run out. Just as she was starting to think she was about to never catch a break, the director asked she and Chris to run back into the building and get some more hotdog buns and sodas from the kitchen. Beyond thankful for the momentary break from the chaos, they made their way inside. When they got in the elevator to go upstairs, Y/N leaned her head back and said, “Wow, long day so far.” Chris nodded vigorously, agreeing.

“Yeah, it was super long. It’s been a lot of fun, though.” Chris was sort of the opposite of Y/N in this case. While being around so many people for so long, interacting and have to be very enthusiastic, she felt drained and got closer and closer to needing a nap. While it definitely took a lot out of Chris, he felt even more energized by being around others who were excited. It was an admirable and rare quality, and Y/N envied him over it a little bit.

“Yeah, but you’ve handled everything like a champ,” she said as they hopped out of the elevator. “You were definitely made for things like this. Like, the whole week, you’ve rocked it.”

He beamed at her and thanked her. They reached the kitchen and grabbed a basket each to put the buns and beverages in. They loaded them up, checked for all they needed, and made their way back to the elevator. While waiting, Chris turned to face her and said, “Thank you for braving this week with me, by the way. It’s been a lot of fun and I’m really glad I’ve started working with you.” He then quickly leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

Stunned, confused, blushing, and a little pissed he had taken her off guard, Y/N looked at him with shock in her eyes. He laughed and got in the elevator once it opened. “You know,” he said. “As a thank you.”

•

Once the celebrations were over and the campers said their goodbyes, the staff met again to discuss the next week and then were sent home to rest for a couple of days before the excitement started once again. On her way out to her bike, Y/N was stopped by Chris. She had been avoiding him for the past couple of hours, only really interacting with him when their troop gathered in a group hug, all saying their goodbyes. She looked at him nonchalantly, asking him what was up.

“Hey, I’m really sorry for making you uncomfortable. I sort of just acted on impulse. I hope you don’t think I’m some sort of a creep or something. I didn’t want to scare you away or anything.” He confessed.

Y/N quickly interjected with, “Oh, no, no! Please don’t apologize. You just took me off guard. I…” She paused for a second, not really sure how to express her thoughts. “...didn’t really mind?” Well, she screwed up. What she meant to tell him was that she didn’t think it was that big of a deal because… she wasn’t interested. Rather, not that she wasn’t interested in him, but that she wasn’t interested in a relationship with him. Or anyone. But, that isn’t what she said.

Taking this in strife, Chris said, “Oh, well… I’m glad to hear that. Um, yeah, so… I’m glad you didn’t mind,” He looked deep in thought for a moment. “Well, I’ll catch you next week! New week and all… See you!” He left, but (not picking up on the hints that Y/N gave poorly) not without leaning down and giving her a slightly lingering kiss on her cheek again. The poor girl didn’t even have the chance to say anything, because he was gone in a flash.

Still stunned, confused, blushing again, and still pissed he caught her off guard again, Y/N groaned to herself. This was going to be trouble.


	7. Chapter 7

The following couple of weeks went on like usual. Y/N had the absolute most fun with the campers and, despite the occasional awkwardness, with Chris. Luckily, nothing really got past pats on the back anymore. There was still some confusion in Y/N’s heart, though. She, once again in her life, ignored the unsettling feelings and decided to just keep on with life as she always did. The fourth week was the only week of the summer where there were no camps happening, therefore, a week for all the staff to have off totally to do whatever they wanted or needed.

While Y/N was so ready to just set everything aside and sleep for a week straight, this was, of course, a time when her friends all were itching to hang out since they would all be free.

@mongomangomingi: So like, I know we sort of assumed there would be no partying this summer but… there are a couple of guys at work wanting to throw a huge bonfire coming up this Friday.

@minho_lee: Oh lit, yeah, I’m tagging along if u go

@mongomangomingi: hell yeah, it’ll be a blast.

@mongomangomingi: Y/N? You in?

@Y/N_darling: oh you know it. I’ve been dying to go to a party lately

@Y/N_darling: and this is legit the best time to do it

The bonfire (which would most likely be very similar to other parties, just outside and with fire (yikes)) was gonna be held sort of in the middle of nowhere at Mingi’s coworker’s house and was almost guaranteed to have a huge show out. Apparently the guy throwing it was having a birthday and wanted it to be the biggest party ever or something. Y/N was legitimately excited about it, and while she didn’t end up doing much the majority of the week, she knew she had something to look forward to. With the stress of the weeks before, she was more than glad to destress with the help of alcohol, loud music, and some good friends.

•

Y/N dressed pretty casually for the party. She had on a dark denim skirt with a Queen shirt tucked into it, sneakers, and her hair in two French braids, with a modest amount of makeup (she knew she would sweat everything off, anyway). You would think by this point in her party career, she would be over the anxiousness of getting to go to a party, but she couldn’t calm the butterflies in her stomach all the way up to the point when her ride came to pick her up. The host of the party had a bunch of designated drivers whom would be driving more than likely drunken young adults to and from the party until early morning.

The ride over, she made small talk with the guy driving as they made their way to pick up her two male counterparts. Once they were in, it was like a switch flipped and the atmosphere of the vehicle had so much excitement and the three friends spoke happily. It had been a while since the last time they all saw each other, much less went out. Once they reached the relatively secluded area, they hopped out, ready to go. They could see the amber light in the back of the house and walked through the front door to get there. Mingi grabbed a beer while Y/N and Minho each grabbed a blue solo cup of something that tasted like lemonade, but mixed with a chemically taste that was likely vodka.

The bonfire was already booming with people absolutely everywhere. It was toward the beginning of the party, so not many people were exactly drunk, but all were on the road to losing sobriety. Once the trio made it outside, they chatted for a short bit with Mingi’s coworker and a couple others before going to stand near the fire and move to the music. Soon enough, as alcohol intake increased, shame plummeted. Soon after that, almost everyone was dancing, showing off their dance moves that were only good because no one had enough sense to say otherwise.

Y/N wouldn’t exactly say she was out of her mind drunk, but she certainly should not have been driving anytime after that. She laughed with her friends, danced with a girl she didn’t know. Really let herself loose and have fun. After maybe an hour, she decided she needed a little bit of a break from the heat and headed inside to the air conditioning. She refilled her glass, swayed around the kitchen for a moment, and started to head outside. Just before she made it to the door, she heard her name shouted over the loud music.

She turned a little too quickly and bumped into a couple making their way to the craziness outside. After a stuttered apology, she giggled and finally saw the source of the voice. She all but jumped on top of Jaemin.

“Wow, I had NO idea you would be here!” She exclaimed, hugging him tight around his middle and then stepping away. “Oh my goodness I actually haven’t seen you in forever.” Jaemin grinned at her. They exchanged pleasantries for another moment before Y/N dragged him to the cooler full of beer, handed him one, and then took him by the arm outside where the excitement was. Almost like habit, she jumped back into the crowd of drunk, dancing people and motioned for him to join her. They danced for a while, funnily jumping around and showed off their honestly hilarious dance moves to each other.

Every once in a while, they would both recognize a song and shout the lyrics at each other, laughing along. After a couple more runs back to get drinks, they were both sufficiently very drunk. And as was most everyone else at the bonfire. It was only around midnight and they still had hours to party. It seemed as if Y/N would never get tired from dancing and she genuinely felt joy while hanging out with Jaemin. He watched her every move, it seemed. He laughed when Minho waltz over and picked her up, swinging her around, singing very obnoxiously to the song blasting. He stared intently at every move her mouth made, from her pouting when Mingi said she shouldn’t drink anymore, to her grinning when he ruffled her hair and offered what little was left of his drink before stumbling off.

Jaemin was pretty sure it was the alcohol, but if he had been given the opportunity, he would have confessed his absolute undying love to Y/N right then and there. She enthralled him with every action and every word. The way her skin reflected the light from the fire and the way she would get super close to tell him something in his ear made his heart want to explode. If it hadn’t been a hot night next to the fire with alcohol raging through his system, she would have seen the blush that coated his face. He almost felt embarrassed. Suddenly, she yanked him down to her height and said that she had to go to the bathroom and that she was designating him as her “bathroom buddy” for the rest of the night.

She let him drag her by the hand to the house and they were both surprised to see that the line for the bathroom was relatively short. Only about three people in front of them. While waiting, Y/N felt herself stumble a bit and leaned her back to Jaemin’s side. She rested her head on him and had a hand on the wall. She was really feeling those drinks from earlier. The world was spinning quite a bit, but if she tried hard enough, she might have been able to act sober. With his current state of mesmerization, he couldn’t keep a straight face and was grinning like an idiot.

Finally, as it was her turn, he waited outside the door for her. She took what seemed like a long time, but honestly, time was going by very slow. What was three minutes seemed like seven and soon enough, a couple of girls who were behind her in line got a little agitated and started to knock on the door, complaining about how bad they just had to go and that she was taking way too long. Jaemin crowned at them, for some reason getting protective and telling them to back off. One of the girls, dressed in long pink pants and a tube top rolled her eyes at him and mentioned something along the lines of, “Great, so she has her boyfriend trying to defend her slow ass.”

Still annoyed, but also flushed at her statement, he ignored her and then just like that, Y/N exited and they made their way back down the hall. Just as they reached the end, she pulled his sleeve and got his attention.

“Hey,” she said with a raspy voice. “Do you mind if we maybe, like find somewhere to sit for a second? My stomach kind of hurts.” She gripped her abdomen and had a pout on her face. He obliged and the two stumbled their way to a different hallway where not many people were and sat on the ground against the wall. Y/N leaned her head back and took a few deep breaths.

“Maybe you should ummm… drink some water. I bet that’ll help a little. Or I think they have chips. I can get some of those?” He suggested, trying to think of rapid ways to help her out. She shook her head, immediately refusing (like he figured she would). She insisted all she needed to do was sit for a moment, then they could go back to having fun. He only shrugged and trusted her.

It felt like they sat there for the longest time. Again, time passed by so slowly. Y/N almost thought she took a micro nap, but decided she probably was just caught in time. She took another really huge breath before turning her head to the left to look at the boy next to her.

“You don’t party much, do you?” She asked. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you at one before. Sucks, you should definitely come to more. Aren’t you having fun? This is a lot of fun.” It seemed that Y/N with alcohol in her body made her a little bit wordy, which Jaemin found captivating and adorable.

He laughed and said, “Well I’ve gone to a few. I’ve seen you at one before, don’t you remember?” He honestly said it without thinking. Jaemin knew that she didn’t remember him from the party of their previous semester, so why did he say it? It could have been kept as his secret.

Y/N looked extremely confused, racking her mind for any memory of him cutting loose, having a drink, or dancing alongside anyone at a party. She couldn’t come up with any memories like that. She shook her head, confirming she didn’t remember. “Probably because of the drinking.” She said.

The next words that came out of Jaemin’s mouth made him want to punt himself across a football field.

“Well I definitely remember making out with you for forever, so I know we’ve been to the same party before.” You know those times when you know you shouldn’t say something and even as you’re saying it, every bone in your body screams at you to stop, but you just can’t shut up? That was this moment. His thoughts were a little dulled, but even intoxicated, he knew he didn’t want to really say that. Y/N looked at him for a moment, waiting for him to laugh, telling her he was joking. But all he did was look at her, scared.

Those big puppy looking eyes looking like they wanted to disappear. Her heart raced just a little bit, as if she had the biggest flashback of her life. She looked down and noticed the grey flannel he was wearing and it was like the final piece of the puzzle finally had been placed.

“Oh, you’re kidding…” she mumbled to herself. Memories, though not all of them, flooded her mind and she found herself with butterflies in her stomach. If you thought you had experienced an awkward silence before, you definitely were not present in this moment. Jaemin couldn’t keep eye contact and took many breaths before holding his hand out to her, pulling her up, and rushing down the hall. Y/N protested and begged him to tell her where they were going. He pulled them into a vacant little cranny of the house.

The music from outside was a bass vibration, but the beating was nowhere near as heavy as both of their hearts in their chests at that moment.

“Listen,” Jaemin said, anxiety dripping in his voice. “I’m going to do this. I’m going to do this and if you want to hate me, then fine. I just really hope you remember this time.” He spun her around so her back was against the wall and got very close, very fast. All they did was stare at each other. Jaemin searched Y/N’s eyes for emotion. He wanted so badly to know what was racing through that mind of hers. Y/N looked up into Jaemin’s eyes and saw so much nervousness and wondered what he felt?

“Well, if you’re gonna do it, just do it.” She boldly challenged. And that was all it took. In a split second, he had two arms around her, gripping the back of her shirt and his lips captured hers in a feverish manner. It wasn’t some spectacular movie moment. Y/N didn’t see fireworks, but she did feel like an electric shock pulsed through her stomach and heart a couple of times. She couldn’t believe she had forgotten a kiss like this. Jaemin made it hard to not get lost in the moment. With her hands gripping his collar, she couldn’t even force herself to pull away if she wanted. Did she want this? It felt… nice. Really nice. But what did he want, exactly?

That was something she could worry about in the morning, she guessed. At that moment, he was all she wanted her attention on.

•

Neither of them were exactly sure how long they stood there, kissing like it was their only sources of life. But when a very drunk duo, also known as Y/N’s best friends, found them, they were, at the very least, shook. Sure, they could have guessed Jaemin felt some type of way toward their friend, but Y/N? This wasn’t like her at all. She wouldn’t give her lips away to just anyone. As strict as she was in herself about love, she was the last person who would be leached on to someone at a party. The two hit each other in the arms a couple of times, pushing the other to get their friends’ attention.

As soon as they were noticed by the blushing, very, very close duo, it was like it had never happened to Y/N. She jumped at first, but almost immediately ran to them, nervously saying that they needed to go ahead and call a ride before it got too late. As she shoved them down the hall, she glanced back at Jaemin, seeing his jaw dropped to the ground. She gave him an anxious smile before turning the corner, leaving him.


	8. Chapter 8

The next month for Y/N was confusing, but went by rather quickly. Work was still fun. Something odd had happened, though. About two weeks after their week off, Chris approached her, nervously asking if they could talk for just a quick moment. She obliged and, admittedly a little nervous due to his behavior toward her in the past, followed him to a hall.

“So, um, this is my last week working here,” he told her. She looked at him in confusion. “I’ve already talked to the boss and all. I figured you deserve to know, since we’ve become pretty good friends and all. There’s this… trip. It’s a once in a lifetime cruise that’s going to every continent in four weeks… My grandpa is taking me and it may be the last trip I ever get to take with him.” Y/N shook her head, hoping he didn’t think she would be upset.

“Wow, but that’s so amazing! I’m totally excited for you.” She said, giving him her most genuine grin. They talked for another minute or so, before squeezing each other in a tight hug, laughing and telling each other they would miss each other a ton.

At the end of the week, Chris’ last day, they shared a last hug and he promised Y/N that once he got back and they started classes again, she could bet on them hanging out again. She happily agreed and wished him the best of luck on his trip and joked that he had better bring her back something.

Since then, not much had happened. It would be an understatement to say that Y/N was avoiding Jaemin. She wouldn’t hang out with him, she wouldn’t answer his DMs, she wouldn’t talk about him with her friends. She well remembered the night of the bonfire and she was ashamed. Not because of who it was or that it happened, but because she specifically told herself not to get in a situation like that again. It killed her to admit, but Y/N was a softie and would fall for a guy quick. Jaemin was no exception to this.

But you see, there was no point in catching feelings and then having them ripped apart if it wouldn’t last in the first place. The amount of times Y/N beat herself up over the past month had become an uncountable number and she found her heart racing in the middle of the day, just thinking of the puppy like eyes and the warm lips she had encountered. She swallowed her feelings, not letting a soul know how she felt, including her two best friends who had seen the starting situation firsthand.

They prodded and poked, begging her to spill how she really felt. They were smarter than to believe her when she said she didn’t feel a thing except frustration. With her feelings bottled up and with Jaemin being ignored, something was bound to explode at some time or another.

•

The day was July 19th, Y/N’s birthday. She bustled with excitement, knowing how good of a day it would be. She had just gotten home from her day at work, and was getting ready for her annual birthday dinner with her family. Her dad and her siblings were making the two hour drive to her university town to take her and Mingi and Minho to dinner. The three had talked about inviting the others, and Mingi sent out a message to them, letting them know the location if they decided to join. At the end of the day, though, if only Mingi and Minho came to the dinner, Y/N would have been very satisfied. Y/N got nervous as the next couple of hours dragged on, because she knew for a fact Mingi invited Jaemin to the dinner, even though she sternly protested. He said something about him feeling left out, to which Y/N claimed they weren’t even that close. Mingi’s argument then was that they had to be close if Y/N was willing to let him put his lips and hands “all over her like that.” With a threat and a whack on the arm, she left the subject alone, 90% trusting him.

The time got to be seven o’clock and Y/N’s excitement bubbled as she got the text from her younger brother that they were only fifteen minutes away. As she finished up her look, putting on the earrings her roommate gifted her, she heard a knock on their front door and jumped up. As soon as the door unlatched, she was tackled by two very tall twins. Her younger brother and sister shouted their happy birthdays and squeezed her tight. She hugged her dad and gave him a kiss on the cheek before inviting them in for a moment.

Around an hour and a lot of laughs later, Y/N, her siblings, her dad, her two buddies, and the boy she mistakenly kept making out with (to her dismay) were seated at a restaurant of her choice. The conversation started awkward, as it typically does, but eventually they were all chatting about life and cracking jokes. Y/N sat between her younger sister and Jaemin as her dad sat at the head of the table with her brother and two friends across from her. When the waiter got around to her table, Y/N nervously gave her dad a glance and ordered her first legal alcoholic drink, to which he rolled his eyes, but gave a little cheer.

“Now, in moderation, Y/N!” He joked when she finally got the beverage.

“Yeah, not too much, we don’t want a repeat of last time.” Mingi whispered to Minho, looking at the two across from them. Y/N, who was blessed with a great sense of hearing, kicked him in the shin lightly, gritting her teeth at him. She felt the small space of air between her and Jaemin suddenly get very tense and she could hear him awkwardly let out of breathy laugh, trying to make it seem like he wasn’t fazed. She glanced at him and noticed him biting the inside of his bottom lip. She cringed a little at the thought she had of the night of the party. She suddenly really hoped no one at the table could read minds.

•

The dinner was totally a success. They all managed to escape with minimal embarrassment from each other (not including her sister escaping to tell the waitress of the birthday girl, resulting in seven hosts to come to the table and loudly sing and clap to “happy birthday” to her). Her dad only asked one question about how Jaemin had become such close friends with his daughter, to which he didn’t give a lot of details. Y/N and Jaemin even managed to have some lighthearted conversation and poke fun at each other a bit. Perhaps the highlight, though, was the bottles of rum and wine her dad bought her, joking again to “not drink it all at once.” It had turned out to be a great 21st birthday for her and her heart was full.

As they all made their way to the parking lot with full bellies, Y/N wished her family safe travels and told her siblings to tell her mom hello for her. She had already agreed to have Mingi and Minho drive her home. Waving at them energetically, she watched as they drove off. She turned to her friends and gathered them into a group hug.

“Thank you guys so much for celebrating with me. You guys are the best,” She gushed. She hooked her arms in her two best friends’ with Jaemin trailing close behind. “What do you guys say about coming to help me start off these bottles?” She asked the three of them, giving them a pleading smile. It had definitely been a great day, and was about to end even better.


	9. Chapter 9

Not very drunk, but pretty confident, Jaemin looked at his crush from across her coffee table. They were playing a game of Truth or Dare and drinking when they refused to answer. The rules were:

1) If a player doesn’t want to answer a truth or complete a dare, they can take a shot, no questions asked from the other parties.  
2) If you can’t think of a truth or date to ask within two minutes, you have to take a shot.  
3) You can skip a question only if you take two shots.  
4) Dares cannot be sexual, since this is a game for bro’s, not hoes.

Needless to say, they had all learned a little too much about each other in the past hour and they hadn’t even gotten to the super juicy stuff yet. Of the four, Minho was getting fairly wasted, due to not wanting to spill too much tea and Y/N wasn’t even tipsy at all, being a pretty open book.

“Alright lads, next round, whoever doesn’t want to answer has to have a whole glass.” Y/N bargained to them. It was time to get the ball rolling even faster. She was pretty confident none of them would stump her with a question, but she was ready to run the show.

“I’ll go first,” Jaemin said, starting to pour glasses for them all. He looked deep in thought for a moment and once he got done filling up Y/N’s glass with wine, he boldly asked, “So would you go on a date with me if I asked?”

Mingi let out a quiet snort at the question, cringing and looking right at Y/N. Minho just got wide-eyed and let out an, “Oooooooooh!” And Y/N, the poor gal, didn’t know how to react. She scanned his face for any signs of him making fun of her, but the only emotion he showed was curiosity. He didn’t even look nervous. It was like he was so confident that it would go his way. For just a second, she felt her face get warm. This wasn’t an ideal way for this to happen. Was she gonna say yes? Absolutely not. But did it make her heart pound, thinking that maybe he liked her back? Oh you bet.

Putting up her hard exterior and giving him a stern look, she lifted her glass and chugged the dry substance. She wiped the bit that dribbled down her chin and licked her lips. She didn’t dare to look any of the others in the eyes, but she really didn’t want to see whether or not Jaemin looked hurt. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself. Luckily for her, he wasn’t exactly hurt. He felt… kind of weird. Part of him did want to accept that that probably meant she wasn’t interested, but another part of him sort of thought that she just was caught off guard and genuinely didn’t know how to answer. Surely subtle flirting (and making out at two parties, but we won’t talk about that) meant that she was at least a little interested.

If anything, this made Jaemin a little more determined to win her over. He was going to try hard to gain her affection. He wasn’t about to let these months of admiration from somewhat of a distance be a waste. This was just the beginning and he was about to step it up a level.

•

The game got a good start again after the awkwardness and they were all in good humor again. Mingi shared that he had a crush on one of his teachers in grade school, Y/N prank called her boss to ask about a deal on buttplugs, Minho finally admitted to going on secret dates with someone from his calculus class, and Jaemin was dared to wall twerk in a video and have it put in his Instagram story. All in good fun and all leaving them drunk and happy. Once they got way off track and eventually tired, Y/N let the three of them crash in the living room and bid them goodnight before going to her own bed, staying up to drunk Snapchat some of her friends. One of them being Mingi from just the room over.

Y/N: oh my gosh that was embarrssng why did he do that imm not ready frog something like that

Mingi: omg chill, it was fine, girly, it wasn’t that bad. I bet you didn’t do toooooo mucj damage :P

Y/N: yeah, but I LIKE him but icntt be with him. I don’t wanna love him I’m sad ):

Mingi: just go to bed, get some sleep, talk to him in the morning.

That was enough to calm Y/N enough for her to put her phone down and just get some good sleep. She crashed in a matter of moments.

Minho: this might be in the group chat

Minho: maybe

Jaemin: oop-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so, so sorry it’s been so long. Life entirely got in the way, but luckily I’ve gained some new inspiration. Thank you guys for supporting. I promise I’ll be regular again. <3


	10. Chapter 10

Bright and early, Y/N was getting ready for another long day at work. After a shower, she hopped into the kitchen to see all three of her friends still sleeping soundly. She remembered the game from the night before and felt a jolt in her heart. She couldn’t believe he actually said all of that, and so boldly. But did he mean it? Did his heart pound when looking at her? Maybe he just wanted sex. Maybe he just wanted to play with her. Maybe he was just bored. Not that she saw him as that type of guy, but the chances of him liking her were low. Maybe he was just a drunk flirt. After all, these things always seemed to happen when they were both pretty far from sober.

After quietly grabbing a granola bar for her breakfast and filling up her water bottle, she heard someone wake up from the couch and saw Jaemin groggily sit up and yawn. He sheepishly waved at her and asked if she was leaving for work. She said that she was and that he could stay as long as he needed and to help himself to anything on her side of the pantry. After thanking her, he paused and asked, “Did I… make you too uncomfortable last night? I should have known better, man, my bad. I didn’t mean to come on too strong.”

“Oh, no! Don’t… don’t worry about it, I kinda knew they were empty words. Don’t worry…” She explained, trailing off. She gave an awkward smirk and played with the keys in her hand.

“That’s not what I meant,” he said directly. “I totally want to take you on a date. I just should have asked… differently?” It was more of a question and he all of a sudden wished he had kept his mouth shut. Maybe he was still a little drunk from last night.

“Hey, Jaemin, you know I don’t date…” Y/N said. “I’m sorry.”

He let out a little laugh and, in a burst of confidence, said, “Maybe not now, but I’ll win you over. I mean, I know you’re interested in me, just a little. I just need to find a way to convince you that I’m worth it.” And with that, he made his way to the bathroom to wash up before heading out.

Shocked at the straightforwardness and boldness of her friend, Y/N stood staring into the space he had stood. No, no, no, he wasn’t going to get away with making her flustered and making empty promises that she had already rejected the idea of. Not after she spent so many years convincing herself that love was a hoax. It was time to put a stop to the madness (which was a little dramatic of a thing to think), but she didn’t quite know how. Maybe she could just block him on everything? No, he was still her friend. She didn’t need that kind of drama. Maybe she could just tell him off so he would leave her alone? No, again, he was still her friend. She couldn’t bear to do that to him.

Deciding it would be best to just push the entire concept of “Na Jaemin” to the back of her head, she rushed to work on her bike, still feeling a little frazzled. Luckily, she got so busy at work, cheering on her campers and making jokes with her coworkers, so it was easy to not think about the guy who had her so confused. She hadn’t been on her phone that day, and good thing, because she may have passed out if she saw the string of texts sent to her from Jaemin.

Jaemin: I’m thinking next Friday, you and me, a nice dinner, and maybe a walk downtown. Sound good? <3

Jaemin: You know, actually, maybe a movie would be nice. I could lay some ~moves on you~

Jaemin: Wait, not creepy! Just like hold your hand lmaoooo

Jaemin: Omg pls answer I feel like a creep

And when Y/N finally did get off work and see the panicked texts, she replied:

Y/N: Bruh I TOLD you I don’t date

Y/N: Omg wait you’re not a creep

Y/N: I didn’t mean to be harsh

Jaemin: So like is that a yes

Y/N: …….no

Jaemin: Shit

•

Maybe Y/N was being rough on the poor guy, but no words in the world could explain how stubborn she could be when it came to relationships. The part that sucked? She sort of wanted to give him a chance. Deep down, she wanted him to prove her wrong; that he wasn’t wasting his time chasing after a girl for no reason. However, was she going to admit that to his face? Not in a million years. She wasn’t going to lose this battle.

She made her way out to her bike and began to make her way out of the parking lot when she heard her name being called. Cringing because she knew exactly who the voice belonged to, she turned to see Na Jaemin jogging to her.

“Can I walk you home?” He asked. When she gave him a quizzical look before saying he could, he replied, “Hey, I told you I was going to win you over. Let me be a little chivalrous.” Then he gave her that cheerful smile that she was starting to hate to love and walked a little fast to keep up with her biking, praying she wouldn’t leave him in the dust.

About ten minutes of awkward silence later, he let out a dramatic sigh and said, “Is this too much? This is too much. I’m sorry, I just… wanted to show you I care by walking you home. Is that weird? I’m really sorry, I just like you, okay? I want to spend time with you, even if it’s only a few minutes. Plus we’re friends! Jeez, I’m sorry, I must sound like a loser.”

“Jaemin! Jaemin. Stop rambling. Don’t worry about it… I don’t mind. I like the company.” She gave him a sheepish smile and let them fall into a much more comfortable silence as they began to get closer to her apartment. “Well, this is me. Thanks for walking me, I really didn’t mind. Just… don’t go out of your way for me. Really, don’t…”

Seeing the dejected look on his face, she was quick to follow up with, “Just because! I feel awkward when people go out of their way for me. That’s all. It’s not because of you.” She gave him a lighthearted punch on the shoulder and grinned. “You should head home. Be safe!”

The awkwardness of the air around them was almost unbearable. After half smiles and waves goodbye, Y/N chained her bike up and rushed upstairs in more relief than she had felt in forever. ‘That had no business being as weird of a walk home as it was.’ She thought. Needless to say, Jaemin and the painfully awkward afternoon was on her mind for the entirety of the night.

•

Much to her pleasure, Jaemin didn’t surprise her with walks home from work anymore, but boy was he texting her a lot more. He wasn’t flirting, per say, but he seemed to be making a genuine effort to learn more about her. He slowly became her “person” when she needed to vent about work or her family, or even to share random funny stories about her campers. It was so easy to talk to him and she felt herself falling into a natural routine of work, talk to Jaemin, eat, sleep, repeat. They didn’t hang out in person, but that just made it oh so much easier to pretend she didn’t feel herself forming the biggest crush on him.

Before she knew it, summer was over. Well, the break, at least. She finished her camp, gathered all textbooks and supplies she needed, and got a little excited to be starting fresh in another year. When the first day of classes finally arrived, she was a little sad to learn that she didn’t have classes with any of her close friends. Or so she thought. On the second day of the school year, Y/N walked into her most anticipated class, psychology of intimate relationships, and almost immediately heard her name being called out. Looking up the aisle, she saw her partner in crime, Chris! Memories of the first half of the summer, goofing off and singing camp songs came rushing back to her. With the biggest smile, she hurried up the stairs to him and sat next to him.

“Oh my gosh, it’s been way too long. How was your summer? Tell me about your trip!” The two spoke again like they had known each other for years and before they knew it, the professor was quieting the class and starting her introduction. This year, and this class, would be an interesting one.


	11. Chapter 11

“You see, attraction isn’t the same as falling in love, necessarily. Experts say we can be attracted to anyone, but truly falling in love with someone requires much deeper emotions. Attraction comes first and that’s why we feel like we may be interested in so many different individuals at times but we may rarely find ourselves falling in love. You have to be attracted to someone in some fashion to fall in love with them. Otherwise, how are you falling in love with them, right? Anyway, it seems like we’re already a minute past time, so get out of here! See you next week- oh! And don’t forget, the papers on biological versus mental attraction are due next week!”

Y/N felt like she was going to explode from how much their professor had rambled for the past hour. And it almost felt like she hadn’t said anything at all. Love this, attraction that, intimacy whatever. Finally getting a chance to put her pen down, she began to pack up for her next class.

“So, Y/N, I was thinking: let’s work on this paper together. We can, I don’t know, bounce ideas off of each other or help each other,” Chris proposed to her as they made their way down the hall. “I’m free the next two nights if you’re cool with it.” He said it nonchalantly, but really, he wasn’t sure if she would want to work with him, seeing as the paper was really rather simple.

She thought quickly and nodded. “Totally! I don’t work tomorrow night, so we could meet at the library at five.” After talking out minor details, they gave each other a crisp high-five and continued with their days.

•

After a smooth afternoon with only one class, Y/N met up with Mingi and Jaemin for some food before her shift at the library desk.

“Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing I wanna do more than watch some sweaty guys throw a ball made from a dead pig with you guys, but I’m meeting up with Chris to work on our paper tomorrow night.” Y/N explained to her two friends when they begged her to come to the football game happening the next day. Not that she hated sports, but football was somewhere near the bottom of her list. It was one sport she could never really wrap her head around, no matter how fun the crowd was.

“That’s so laaaaame,” Mingi dragged out. “Don’t tell me you’ll miss the party after, too? Even Jaemin is coming!” He wrapped an arm around the younger guy’s shoulders, giving her an expectant look.

“Listen, as much as I’d love to get blackout drunk at a party, I really gotta just get this done. Believe me, I don’t want to write a paper based on how and why people are attracted to others. But Chris offered to help and I can’t turn him down.” The way she spoke about Chris made Jaemin slightly uneasy. They had met him a few times when Y/N would invite him with them for coffee or around campus when she walked with him to class. Jealousy is a bitch, but he tried not to let it get to him. They were just friends.

After some more bickering and eating, Y/N left them to work, promising she would catch the next game with them.

•

The next evening, Y/N sat herself in the library with her laptop out and a bag of Twizzlers next to her. Her earbuds quietly played “Still Don’t Know My Name” by Labrinth. Just as she began to wonder where her partner was, a backpack slid itself onto the table next to her things and she smiled as Chris greeted her.

“Hey, have you gotten started yet?” He asked, and she shook her head, saying she was waiting for him. For a while they talked about the format of the paper, how many parts it needed to be, and what direction they were going to go in. It took a minute, but they eventually both found their groove and were able to work silently next to each other.

“Sorry, biology is totally not my thing,” Y/N started, after a long silence. “Can you help explain more of the biological side of attraction? I get that it can do with fertility, smell, and like how ‘good’ the other’s genes are, but I don’t remember in detail the chemical part of it, like the hormones.”

“So, hormones like how testosterone increases libido. Or how higher levels can be correlated to what types of feminine features men are attracted to, for example. But there are other chemicals that are in the brain that have to do more with emotions,” Y/N nodded, signaling she understood so far and that he could continue. “So you know that dopamine is released when you feel good, like spending time with people you love. Or there’s also norepinephrine, which makes you feel giddy. Kind of like how I feel with you.”

Consider her shocked, because Y/N had never whipped her head around so fast. She felt blood rush to her face. “Y-You with me? That’s how you feel with me?” She asked with a slightly raised voice, before quieting herself down again. “I make you giddy?”

Feeling shy, Chris nodded, suddenly not daring to look her in the eye. “Yeah, I… didn’t know it was such a shock I’m into you. I thought I made it kind of obvious.” Apparently not enough because Y/N completely wracked her mind, trying to think of any hint he had given her that may have made her think he liked her.

Suddenly bashful, Y/N really didn’t know what to say. “Chris…”

But she didn’t get a chance to speak. In a split second, his face was near hers and he laid a firm, but quick kiss on her lips.

“I am so sorry. I-I don’t know what I was thinking. Let me just… go.” He said in a panic before quickly grabbing his things and rushing away. Y/N couldn’t even bring herself to stop him, she just softly whispered a goodbye before letting her jaw drop, realizing what he had just done. This was so bad. Not at all that she didn’t like Chris. He was one of the best guys she had ever known. She just didn’t know how she had missed the subtle flirting and small but meaningful favors that suddenly became very clear. This was bad. She had to do something.

After all but running to her car and then into her apartment, she found her roommate on the couch and plopped down next to her, staring at her with wide eyes. The other girl looked at her, expecting her to say something.

“He kissed me.” She said in exasperation. Her roommate’s eyes bulged out of her head.

“Jaemin!? Sober!? It’s about ti-“

“No! Chris!”

“Wait, that Australian cutie you’ve been hanging out with? Damn, he’s something else. I’m proud of you.” She said.

“Nooo, this isn’t good! I can’t date him! We’re just friends! I just see him as a friend.” Y/N leaned her head back and rubbed her eyes, not knowing what to do. There was no way she could let one of the best friendships she’d had go to shit. Telling him off wasn’t an option. She cared too much. Dating him was even more off the table because she just didn’t want to. The only way was to reject him. Be straightforward. She was a big girl, she could do it. After some stress food and a long talk with her roommate, she laid in bed, wondering what to say. Once she got it figured out, it was surprisingly less painful than she thought. Chris took it surprisingly well. He told her it would probably be a little awkward being around her, but he understood that she wasn’t interested in dating. It didn’t make Y/N feel much better in rejecting him, though.

Everything would be fine. However, she was a little disappointed it wasn’t a different friend who had kissed her.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for making it this far! This is my first piece of work and I hope you all enjoy it!


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